Aircraft engine exhaust is one issue of concern in a runway or taxiway environment, particularly the impact of engine exhaust from other aircraft taxiing around the airport or preparing to take off. Aircraft exhaust may reach high velocities and undesirably influence aircraft in the same vicinity as one another. To address these issues, pilots generally maintain certain spacing away from other aircraft and attempt to anticipate when the exhaust from a nearby or approaching aircraft may be a concern.
Computer generated aircraft displays have become highly sophisticated and capable of displaying a substantial amount of flight management, navigation, and control information that gives flight crews more effective control of the aircraft and a reduction in workload. In this regard, electronic displays, such as head up displays (HUDs) and head down displays (HDDs), are used in aircraft as primary flight displays. For example, the primary flight display can combine critical flight instrumentation (e.g., altitude, attitude, heading, airspeed, vertical speed instruments) and primary engine instrument indicators into a single, readily interpretable display. Although conventional primary flight displays may provide some assistance to the pilot in runway environments, such displays do not provide any help with identifying exhaust from other aircraft.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods that improve situational awareness and assist the pilot in runway environments, particularly with respect to aircraft exhaust scenarios. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.